Month: September 2019

Asda has appointed Aon Hewitt as actuarial adviser to the Trustees of the Asda Group pension scheme.The retailer, which is part of Walmart, has 13,500 members in its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme.Trustees of the scheme have chosen Aon Hewitt to be the actuary of the scheme.

Something for the weekend…Over 1,000 people in the United States now work as professional mermaids or mermen on a full-time basis, according to a study by Fast Company.According to the report, vacancies for merpeople have blossomed in popularity thanks to an increase in under-the-sea themed restaurants and bars and celebrities such as Shia LeBeouf and Jessica Alba booking mermaid performances for parties. In fact, the position can pay up to as much as £160 ($250) an hour.Rachel Smith, head mermaid at Dive Bar in Sacramento, USA, explained the tougher elements of being a mermaid during an interview with Fast Company. She said: “It’s really hard, which is something I don’t think people fully understand, because we want it to look so effortless. Our legs are tied together, the fish are running into us, and it’s dark.“Our tails can weigh up to 35 pounds, but the saltwater makes us float, so we have another 5-10 pounds strapped between our legs.”The Employee Benefits team can’t help but wonder what benefits merpeople might be entitled to…read more

The government has published its new Pension Schemes Bill, which lays out stricter operating criteria for master trusts and begins the process of capping early exit charges for members of workplace pension schemes.The bill, published yesterday (20 October 2016), aims to boost consumer protections by creating a new approval regime for master trusts and giving new powers to The Pensions Regulator (TPR) to allow it to intervene where schemes are at risk of failing.Master trust schemes will now have to meet five key criteria. These include ensuring that the parties involved in the scheme are fit and proper, that the scheme is financially sustainable, that the scheme funder can meet certain requirements to provide assurance about their financial situation, that the administration and governance processes are sufficient, and that the scheme has an adequate continuity strategy.The additional protections were first unveiled in background briefing documents following the Queen’s Speech in May 2016.The Pension Schemes Bill also makes changes to legislation around pension charges, helping to introduce a cap to prevent early exit charges from creating a barrier for workplace pension scheme members wanting to access their retirement savings early. This aims to ensure that scheme members can take advantage of the pension freedoms without being penalised by early exit fees.Richard Harrington, the minister for pensions, said: “We are helping to create a culture of saving across the country and have delivered much needed change to our pension system to make saving easier, fairer and safer for all.“We want to make sure that people saving into master trusts enjoy the same protection as everyone else, which is why we are levelling up that protection, to give these savers more confidence in their pension schemes.”Lesley Titcomb, the chief executive at The Pensions Regulator, added: “We are very pleased that the Pension Scheme Bill will drive up standards and give us tough new supervisory powers to authorise and de-authorise master trusts according to strict criteria, ensuring members are better protected and ultimately receive the benefits they expect.”Nathan Long, senior pension analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “This is the death knell for badly run master trusts, crucially driving up the levels of protection for members.“Many current members will not have chosen membership, having been enrolled automatically by their employer. No member should lose their accrued pension savings as a result of a pension scheme getting into difficulties. This legislation looks to address the vulnerability that had existed within master trust regulation up until now and this means the cost of wind-up should not fall onto members.”read more

Media organisation the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has agreed to align median pay for off-air journalists who work at its BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring businesses with employee counterparts who are based at BBC Network News.The pay increase, which will be backdated to 1 August 2017, will apply to BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring staff who work in off-air journalist roles at pay grades two to 11 in the UK. The pay rises will be awarded in line with the BBC’s annual pay settlements, as well as in conjunction with the pay proposals that are currently being consulted on in the organisation’s terms and conditions review.The BBC confirmed the pay increase after results from its World Service pay review, conducted by professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), found differences in pay between off-air editorial employees working at BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring compared to those working at BBC Network News.The review cited historic and economic reasons for the pay differences. For example, historically, the BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring have operated separately to BBC News, and were funded by the UK government rather than via licence fees. PWC’s review further noted that staff employed in the BBC Network News division operate in a different market environment from BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring employees. This provides BBC Network News staff a wider range of career opportunities both inside and outside of the BBC, creating different labour markets.The World Service pay review is distinct from the BBC’s ongoing equal pay audit and gender pay report. Additionally, the BBC will address presenter and on-air employee pay as part of a separate on-air pay review.James Harding, director of BBC News and Current Affairs, said: “We want a BBC where people move around and between our newsrooms. We believe a wider range of voices at work across BBC News will ensure we reach more stories and keep connected to everyone. To help make this happen, we have decided to align median pay.”read more

NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) – A North Miami man is behind bars Saturday after accusations of stabbing an IHOP employee.Gene Henry, 35, has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon causing bodily harm. He is accused of stabbing an IHOP employee, Friday.Henry reportedly ate at the restaurant located on 127th Street and Biscayne Boulevard and left, before returning with the claim he had been poisoned. Police then said Henry walked up to his server and stabbed them.The server was taken to Aventura Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.Henry is being held on a $10,000 bond.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.read more

(WSVN) – A charter flight carrying the Miami Heat slid on the runway due to icy conditions at a Milwaukee airport, Wednesday evening.The plane stayed on the pavement as it made impact on the runway.Heat guard, Wayne Ellington tweeted about the scare. Could have been worse. Thank God it wasn’t.. https://t.co/n4xBYGNZ6n— Wayne Ellington (@WayneElli22) January 12, 2017Team officials said thankfully no one was hurt.The Heat was coming off a tough loss, Tuesday night, against the Golden State Warriors. They are set to play the Milwaukee Bucks, Friday night. Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.read more

(WSVN) – An Illinois soldier waited two days in the airport, hoping to board a last-minute flight home on Memorial Day weekend. Just when he had given up hope of getting the chance to see his family, he was gifted a ticket — by a complete stranger.According to Fox 2, 19-year-old Keaton Tilson, an Army mechanic stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, had yet to visit home since Christmas, but was granted permission last Thursday to head home to Granite City, Ill.Tilson went to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, bought a stand-by ticket, and waited for two days, hoping to get any last-minute seat on a flight. A gate agent reportedly told Tilson that it became more and more unlikely that he would snag a seat on a flight.“It looked good at first,” said Tilson’s mother, Jennifer, in an interview. “There were open seats. Then something happened, and he kept missing flights and missing flights.”A short time after Tilson called his mother to break the bad news, Josh Rainey, a total stranger, approached airline workers, asking if he could give the soldier his seat on a flight that was about to board. But the gate agent told him he could not switch tickets just before boarding.After calling his wife for advice, Rainey went back to the gate agent and bought the 19-year-old a $375 ticket instead.“We agreed both that it was the right thing to do to go back and buy the ticket,” Rainey told Fox 2. Before taking his seat on the flight, Tilson hugged and thanked the generous stranger.“That was worth every penny,” Rainey said.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.read more

CLEARWATER, Fla. (WSVN) – Rescuers and sunbathers came to the rescue of three manatees after they were stranded on Clearwater Beach.The helpless sea cows were stuck on shore, Wednesday afternoon, but beachgoers and firefighters worked together to give them a helpful nudge, pushing the massive marine mammals back into the water.All three eventually swam out to sea.Wildlife experts said the group likely came to shore because it’s mating season.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.read more

LARGO, Fla. (WSVN) — Police say a mother who initially claimed her 2-year-old son had been abducted in the Tampa Bay area has admitted to investigators that she struck the boy and left his body in the woods.According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox 13, 21-year-old Charisse Stinson told Largo Police her son Jordan Belliveau had an “unexplained serious injury” to one of his legs and that she struck him in the face with the back of her hand in a “moment of frustration.”Investigators said the force of the strike caused Jordan to hit the back of his head on a wall. The toddler then began having seizures throughout the night.Related: Mother charged in toddler’s death after Florida Amber Alert cancelledDetectives said Jordan’s health continued to decline, and Stinson carried him to a wooded area in Largo, where she abandoned him.Police found Jordan’s body Tuesday. It is unknown if the toddler was still alive when Stinson left him in the woods.Stinson initially told police a man named “Antwan” offered her and her son a ride Saturday night. She told them he punched her in the face and knocked her unconscious. and that the boy and the man were gone when she woke up hours later in some nearby woods.Police released a composite sketch of the man, but investigators now say they don’t believe Antwan actually exists. Stinson has been charged with first-degree murder. Tonight, Charisse Stinson was arrested for First Degree Murder in the death of her son Jordan Belliveau. More details will be forthcoming. Our thanks to FDLE, our partner LE agencies, Largo Public Works, and the citizens of Largo who assisted. pic.twitter.com/UI3w1YyOYq— Largo Police (@LargoPD) September 5, 2018Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.read more

UPDATE: The advisory has been lifted for Key Biscayne Beach Club as of September 11; however, it remains in effect until further notice for Crandon South. Click here for more advisories in effect for Miami-Dade.———–A swimming advisory has been issued for Crandon South Beach and Key Biscayne Beach Club.The Florida Department of Health says two consecutive water samples taken from the area revealed higher-than-acceptable levels of enterococci bacteria, which can make swimmers sick.“The advisory issued recommends not swimming at these locations at this time. The results of the sampling indicate that water contact may pose an increased risk of illness, particularly for susceptible individuals,” the Department of Health said.A swim advisory had previously been in place for Crandon North Beach; that advisory was lifted Thursday.It is advised that beachgoers stay on shore at both Crandon South Beach and Key Biscayne Beach Club until new tests come back clean.For more information, visit the Department of Health’s website.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.read more

No one was injured.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. HIALEAH GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) – An arsonist is accused of setting off three separate fires inside a Walmart in Hialeah Gardens.Cellphone video showed shoppers as they rushed out of the store when the three fires were ignited, Monday night.The incident happened at the Walmart near Northwest 95th Street and West Okeechobee Road.The suspect, identified as Sasha Guillen Alarid, allegedly started one fire inside the bathroom and then two others on the floor.Employees were able to extinguish the flames and evacuate shoppers.Alarid was arrested soon after.She’s charged with arson and criminal mischief. read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – Firefighters came to the rescue of a dog in distress in Fort Lauderdale.The “ruff” rescue went down after area residents noticed the canine swimming down a canal near Northwast 57th Court, Saturday.Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue units that responded spotted the dog in the water, unable to get out.Despite facing difficulties at first, a firefighter was able to get into the water and rescue the dog.The dog was returned to its owner and is expected to be OK.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.read more

Hours later officials said the road was reopened.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The road has now been re-opened and traffic is back to normal. https://t.co/5bGRByeEIL— Miami PD (@MiamiPD) July 2, 2019 MIAMI (WSVN) – A water main break on Southeast Second Street in Miami has been fixed.On Tuesday morning, officials tweeted westbound Southeast Second Street was closed at Southeast First Avenue.read more

MARATHON, FLA. (WSVN) – A good Samaritan came to the rescue of a group of people after their catamaran capsized off the Florida Keys.According to the U.S. Coast Guard, an adult and three children were on board the 20-foot vessel near Marathon when it overturned, Saturday.A Coast Guard crew was en route to render aid, but a nearby stranger heard the urgent broadcast and stepped in to help the victims.Fortunately, the four people were wearing life jackets. They were transferred to Coast Guard Station Key West.No one was hurt.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.read more

MIAMI (WSVN) – Univista Insurance is searching for certified insurance agents in Miami.The company is hosting a job fair on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at their office located at 7330 Northwest Eighth Street.Applicants interested in attending are advised to bring copies of their resume.This is the insurance company’s first job fair.Copyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Dunleavy and Lt. Governor-elect Kevin Meyer will be sworn in at 11:55 a.m. at Aqqaluk High School and Noorvik Elementary School by Judge Paul Roetman. Republican Mike Dunleavy has been sworn in as Alaska’s new governor. Dunleavy took the oath of office shortly before noon on Monday in the city of Kotzebue. Updated 10:15am: Due to weather conditions Dunleavy will be sworn in in Kotzebue. Kevin Meyer who is with Dunleavy will also take the oath in Kotzebue. Governor Bill Walker released a statement saying he will not be able to attend the inauguration ceremony, as he will remain in Anchorage to work on reopening state facilities and damaged infrastructure. Dunleavy: “For us, it is the right thing to do — to call attention to the beauty, warmth and spirit of a part of our state many Alaskans have not experienced.” This will be the first time a U.S. governor will be sworn in above the Arctic Circle. Noorvik sits about 54 miles to the east of Koztebue, a hub village in the Northwest Arctic Borough. Original Post: Governor-elect Mike Dunleavy will be sworn into office this afternoon, in Noorvik. Noorvik is where Dunleavy’s wife Rose grew up. Facebook0TwitterEmailPrintFriendly分享Updated 11:47am: On the Kenai Peninsula the celebration will take place on Thursday, December 6, from 5-7pm, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. The event is open to the public.read more

SEE RELATED: Luxury Magazines Not So Recession-Proof After All?Custom publisher McMurry has suspended publication of 6, the ultra-affluent bi-monthly it launched last fall.“We have not folded 6 but we have suspended it until the economy and luxury goods ad spending pick back up,” CEO Chris McMurry wrote in an e-mail to FOLIO:. “It was a financial return on investment consideration. In the best of times, convincing advertisers to try something new is a challenge. With the current economy, and universally reduced spending, that was going to lengthen the return on investment period.” There were no layoffs associated with the magazine’s suspension, McMurry said. The magazine did not have a dedicated staff so those who worked on it are now “working on other projects.” 6 (the name refers to six “passion points” of the readership: wealth, style, travel, design and body and health) debuted with a November/December issue. At the time, McMurry said the magazine targeted affluent, rather than aspirational readers—households with average net worth of $25 million.The publisher began building its target audience by accumulating lists through a variety of different data sources and ended up with a list of 300,000 names, then pared it down to get down to a target list of 100,000. McMurry hired Monroe Mendelsohn Research to extract names from the list on a random basis and conduct a survey to help validate the list.“The concept of delivering the highest-end consumer audience in the U.S. of any magazine, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences to that audience, is an unfulfilled niche,” McMurry wrote.read more

Most See Profit Margins of 10 PercentDespite favorable comparisons to the profitability of print, the majority of respondents—40 percent—said their e-media business has a profit margin of 10 percent or less [Chart 6]. Thirty-four percent say they have a profit margin of 20 percent or more, while 16 percent see profitability of 10 percent to 15 percent. Eleven percent see profitability of 16 percent to 20 percent. Digital Investment: Most Under $100KWhile publishers often cite the lower costs and higher margins associated with digital media versus print, building a digital business requires significant investment in hardware, services and personnel. According to FOLIO:’s 2009 B-to-B CEO survey, e-media accounted for the largest operating expense increase among b-to-b publishers in 2008, up 6 percent.Still, 51 percent of respondents to FOLIO:’s E-media Survey say they invested less than $100,000 in e-media products, services or personnel in 2008 [Chart 5]. Twenty-four percent say they invested between $100,000 and $300,000, while 12 percent say they invested $300,000 to $500,000.Five percent invested $500,000 to $1 million and another 5 percent invested $1 million to $3 million. One percent invested $1 million to $5 million, while 2 percent invested more than $5 million.Between open source solutions and existing staff taking on new responsibilities, many publishers are finding they don’t have to break the bank. In August 2006, the Web site for Reni Publishing’s Florida Real Estate Journal averaged 750 monthly unique visitors but after some basic tweaks and a $1,000 software investment, Reni had 50,000 unique visitors by the end of 2007.Online startup Knitters Review, which sees an average of 2.8 million page views and revenue in the low six figures, says its biggest expense is hosting a forum of 70,000 members, which requires a lot of bandwidth and storage—and costs about 10 percent of Knitters Review’s total revenue.On average, the majority of respondents (20 percent) spent between $10,000 and $24,999 on new technology last year (14 percent spent $100,000-$249,000, while just 2 percent spent $1 million or more).“We were in a unique position in that our company wanted to do it right and as a startup told me not to worry about revenue the first year; worry about building the product,” says Jeff Higley, editorial director of digital media for HotelNewsNow.com. “For the actual costs of building the site itself, plus the back-end stuff, I would say the startup alone was about 70 percent of what it would have been for a print product from a start-up perspective.”Staffing: As Silos Break Down, Everyone Works On DigitalIn recent years, publishers have found that online staffers could command higher salaries than their equivalent counterparts in print. That’s starting to level out as digital skills become more commonplace (and as the separation between “print” and “digital” staffs crumble and one staff is responsible for everything).According to the FOLIO: survey, 57 percent of respondents spent less than $100,000 on staff dedicated to e-media (indicating that while many publishers may have a dedicated e-media or newsletter editor, the entire staff is generating content for the Web). Twenty-two percent say they spent between $100,000 to $300,000 on a digital media staff, while 9 percent spent $300,000 to $500,000.Many publishers have struggled with getting existing staffers to sell digital, since the commissions are typically smaller than print. However, 74 percent of respondents say their staff sells both print and digital, compared to 16 percent that have a dedicated e-media sales staff and 10 percent that outsource their digital sales. ROI Dominates Reasons for Digital; Interaction with Clients LagsAccording to the FOLIO: survey, 75 percent of e-media advertisers are existing accounts, while 25 percent are new business. Many have worried that online pricing started so low that publishers would have a hard time raising rates. However, 59 percent of respondents say that they have been able to raise the rates on e-media products.When it comes to why they’re buying online media, the majority—52 percent—of publishers say their clients cite ROI/measurability and deeper business intelligence as the top reasons. Twenty-five percent of publishers say their clients are turning to e-media for lead generation, while 23 percent say it’s because of an accessible price point. Interestingly, just 5 percent of respondents say their advertisers cite the ability to interact with their audience via digital media. Digital is the priority for most publishers, yet many executives have had to re-adjust their e-media forecasts just as they did with more traditional revenue streams such as print and events. Online ad spending in the U.S. dropped 5 percent to $5.5 billion in the first quarter of 2009 and 7 percent to $6.2 billion in the second quarter, according to market analyst IDC. Digital revenue remains relatively small, despite massive percentage growth in recent years (and massive slumps in traditional revenue streams). “Those who have been aggressively pursuing digital will likely see it between 8 percent and 15 percent of the overall revenue mix,” Deborah Esayian, co-president of Emmis Interactive told FOLIO: recently. Big Growth in Last Five YearsWhile the industry may still be falling short of where it should be when it comes to digital media, the revenue ratio has shifted dramatically in the last five years. Eighty-seven percent of respondents say they generated less than 10 percent of their overall revenue from e-media in 2004. In 2009, just 50 percent of those same respondents say they see 10 percent or less of overall revenue from e-media [Chart 4]. Meanwhile, 6 percent say they see between 20 percent and 30 percent from digital revenue, up from 1 percent in 2004, and a surprising 11 percent say they see more than 30 percent in digital revenue in 2009, compared to 4 percent in 2004.Earlier this year, Advertising Age estimated 2008 e-media advertising revenue for 11 of the leading consumer magazine publishers. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia came out on top, with digital estimated at $14 million, or 12 percent of total advertising revenue. Time Inc. and Hachette tied for second with e-media estimated at 10 percent of total revenue. And while many publishers vow they will “never be dependent on print advertising again,” just how well are they following through on that promise? FOLIO:’s 2009 E-Media Survey asks publishers where their biggest e-media successes (and set-backs) are coming from. Eighteen percent of respondents say they generate 10 percent to 15 percent of total revenue from e-media (compared to 6 percent in 2004), while 16 percent say they generate 15 percent to 20 percent of total revenue from e-media, compared to just 2 percent in 2004. However, digital revenue for giants such as American Express Publishing and Condé Nast was estimated at 4 percent and 3 percent of total revenue, respectively, while Bauer was estimated to have zero digital revenue in 2008.“Saying we’re going to migrate consumers one-to-one, print to online, is naive,” Hearst digital manager Chuck Cordray told FOLIO:. “Customers will choose what they want to do. As publishers, we have to decide if we are going to compete in that media and succeed. Whatever happens in the traditional magazine business, we have to compete in digital as a business.”Reader’s Digest is attempting to change its perception as a legacy print brand by making SEO, social media and newsletter initiatives a priority. “That’s empowering our growth rather than spending $100 million on a big ad campaign,” says acting general manager Jonathon Hills.Next up is transforming the Reader’s Digest brand into a multi-platform experience. “We’re focusing on video,” says Hills. “Much of our content is perfectly suited for it, and it’s highly monetizeable. We’ll see action with mobile this year on the iPhone.” Smaller Publishers See Big GainsWhile smaller publishers (those generating $5 million or less per year in total revenue) have historically lagged behind larger publishers when it comes to e-media as an overall percentage, they’re catching up and in many cases surpassing larger publishers (of course, when you’re smaller overall, it’s easier to change the revenue ratio).As a publisher of five titles tied closely to the new home market in Orange County, California, Churm Media saw 20 percent of its revenue disappear over an 18-month period. As part of its response, Churm devoted $350,000 to Web development, including revamping Web sites and developing an aggressive newsletter strategy. In 2009, Churm expects 10 percent of its total revenue to come from digital. CEO Steve Churm says the company could be at 22 percent in 2010. “A year ago we were at 1 percent,” he says.Meanwhile, Phoenix Media Network says its online revenue grew by 25 percent last year. Atlantic Media says digital revenue is growing 55 percent in 2009. And while Incisive Media says print makes up 70 percent of its business with events around 15 percent to 20 percent and online at 10 percent to 15 percent, the potential for digital growth is greater, particularly for data and paid content. “We’ve seen the end-user part of the business (data) and even subscriptions grow faster than the advertiser portion,” says CEO William Pollak.As part of its Chapter 11 filing in August, Cygnus Business Media revealed that it expects interactive revenue to drop 14 percent to $8.6 million in 2009. By 2013, Cygnus forecasts overall revenue will be $75.5 million, with print accounting for 49.6 percent of total revenue, or $37.4 million. Events will account for 26 percent (compared to 15.4 percent of revenue in 2009), while interactive is forecast at $18.4 million or 24.4 percent of total revenue (up from 12.5 percent in 2009). In five years, print will remain the largest revenue stream accounting for nearly half of Cygnus’ total revenue.Banners Reign in Revenue, Not ProfitWhile the buzz around mobile and social media dominates much of the digital conversation, banner advertising and e-newsletters remain the most prominent e-media revenue streams with 90 percent and 78 percent of survey respondents saying they derive revenue from these two sources [Chart 1]. Custom Webinars and online directories tied as the third most prominent products, offered by 36 percent of respondents.However, several highly touted up-and-coming revenue streams remain fairly rare for magazine publishers. Only a quarter of survey respondents say they are currently seeing revenue from lead generation, while slightly more (28 percent) say they are seeing revenue from paid content (however, among those respondents who are offering paid content, 50 percent are seeing profit margins of 30 percent or more). Ten percent of respondents say they are seeing revenue from virtual events while just 6 percent are managing to drive revenue through social network sponsorships.When it comes to the largest and smallest revenue streams [Chart 2], banner advertising remains on top, with 37 percent of respondents saying that’s their largest revenue stream. However, banner advertising was also cited as the least profitable e-media revenue stream, with 32 percent of respondents saying they see profit margins of less than 10 percent from banners.E-newsletters (34 percent), Webinars (22 percent) and custom Webinars (19 percent) were also top earners.That seems to mirror what online-only publishers are doing as well. Eighty-one percent of traditional publishers say the primary revenue model for their online-only competition is advertising, followed by lead generation and subscriptions. According to a FOLIO: survey earlier this year, 74 percent of publishers said they launched at least one online-only product within the last two years.Meanwhile, companies such as GlobalSpec represent what publishers could be facing (and how they may want to structure themselves online). Originally positioned as a vertical search engine for the engineering market, GlobalSpec has evolved into a multi-format, multi-product model that includes databases and e-mail newsletters with more than $50 million in estimated revenue. “Our typical customer will spend between $10,000 and upwards of $1 million,” GlobalSpec CEO Jeff Killeen told FOLIO: recently. “We have many hundred thousand dollar-plus relationships.”VIN (Veterinary Information Network) is another online-only publisher that is neither sponsorship nor advertising-based; it’s membership based, with 42,000 members paying $55 per month.Hard Revenue NumbersIn 2008, FOLIO: surveyed readers on how much money they made from online media. At the time, 65 percent of publishers said they generated less than $500,000 in e-media revenue. In 2009, that number improved slightly, with 58 percent of respondents saying they generate less than $500,000 from e-media [Chart 3]. Still, in an industry used to individual magazines and events generating more than that, e-media is still a very small part of the overall plan. Thirteen percent of respondents say they expect to generate between $500,000 and $1 million in 2009, up from 10 percent in 2008. Sixteen percent say they generate between $1 million and $3 million (up from 9 percent last year) and 13 percent say they do $3 million and up. (No respondents say they are generating more than $50 million per year in digital revenue, although 1 percent says they generate between $20 million and $50 million).When compared to the last five years, the outlook indicates steady improvement. Seventy-eight percent of respondents report they generated less than $500,000 in e-media revenue in 2004. Nine percent generated $500,000 to $1 million, while the percentage of respondents generating $1 million to $3 million in revenue doubled over the last five years, from 8 percent to 16 percent.read more

Last year, mobile usage proved to be the catalyst pushing digital media into the forefront over all traditional platforms–including TV, radio and print. According to a recent study by eMarketer, digital media–which includes online, mobile and “other”–accounted for 43.4 percent of time spent with major media. That figure is up from 38.5 percent in 2012 and is expected to reach 47.1 percent in 2014.Mobile is now neck and neck with online–with both figuring in at 19.2 percent of the 43.3 percent digital aggregate. However, mobile is expected to outpace online in 2014 and will eat up a projected 23.3 percent of time spent versus online at 18 percent. This is the first time digital media has surpassed TV as the leading media platform. Television now accounts for 36.5 percent of total consumption time–down from 39.2 percent in 2012. And print is down to a mere 4.4 percent, dropping a full point from 2012. In 2014 that figure is expected to decline nearly a full point again-down to 3.5 percent. There’s more bad news for the print medium. Since 2010, average time spent with a print product has been nearly cut in half. Respondents said in 2010 they spent an average of 50 minutes per day with a print product. Today, that is down to 32 minutes, and is expected to fall another 6 minutes in 2014. Magazines still trail newspapers in that time split, but only slightly. In 2013, newspapers tallied an average of 18 minutes a day versus 14 minutes for magazines. In 2014, both figures are expected to drop, but magazines will close the gap, with newspapers clocking in at 14 minutes and magazines at 12 minutes. The silver lining for traditional media is the overall uptick in consumption. In 2010 media consumption averaged 10:46 (in minutes) and in 2013 that time increased to 12:03. So while traditional media consumers maybe migrating to new platforms, their appetite for content is not waning.read more

READING, MA — Reading Cooperative Bank has promoted Nicolas Iudiciani to Branch Manager. Iudiciani will be managing the Bank’s Wilmington Branch located at 230 Lowell Street. As Branch Manager, he will oversee the day to day activities of the branch, while remaining an integral community partner in town.“I’ve been with Reading Cooperative Bank since 2015 and am excited to continue to advance my career by taking on this new role. I look forward to all of the new challenges and rewards that come with being a Branch Manager and am eager to make a bigger difference here at RCB,” says Nicolas Iudiciani, Branch Manager.“Nick has been a great team member since joining the bank,” says Teresa Cunha, Vice President & Branch Administrator. “I know he will continue to be an asset to the bank and help continue to not only grow the bank, but to help us remain an active member of the Wilmington community.”About Reading Cooperative BankReading Cooperative Bank is a depositor owned co-operative founded in 1886. This community-centric North Shore financial service provider has branches in Reading, Wilmington, North Reading, Andover, and Burlington. They also operate teaching branches at Northeast Metro Tech in Wakefield (open to the public) and at Reading Memorial High School (students and staff only), as well as an online branch at www.readingcoop.com.(NOTE: The above press release is from Reading Cooperative Bank.)Like Wilmington Apple on Facebook. Follow Wilmington Apple on Twitter. Follow Wilmington Apple on Instagram. Subscribe to Wilmington Apple’s daily email newsletter HERE. Got a comment, question, photo, press release, or news tip? Email wilmingtonapple@gmail.com.Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading… RelatedBUSINESS BRIEF: Reading Cooperative Bank Announces 3 New Branch Managers, Including Changes In WilmingtonIn “Business”BUSINESS BRIEF: Reading Cooperative Bank Supports Mystic Valley Elder Services’ Elder Independence FundIn “Business”Reading Cooperative Bank Welcomes 4 New Staff MembersIn “Business”read more